Chargers add surprise coaching interview with Jim Harbaugh understudy

A day before the Los Angeles Chargers did a highly anticipated interview with Mike McDaniel for their vacant offensive coordinator position, they threw out a little surprise.

Late Monday, the Chargers announced they had interviewed Drew Terrell for the position.

The move sort of came out of nowhere and wasn’t widely reported before the team announced it, which was a shocker, considering just how highly publicized the team’s search for Justin Herbert’s next offensive coordinator has been.

But zooming out and looking at Terrell’s resume, it certainly makes sense for the Chargers.

Terrell, 34, played at Stanford during the Jim Harbaugh era, then eventually joined him at Michigan as a graduate assistant. He then jumped to the pros, working as a quality control coach and assistant across various stops like Carolina and Washington.

Last year, Terrell really made his mark as the passing game coordinator for the Arizona Cardinals. While the team underwhelmed, the NFL clearly really liked what the offense in the desert was doing: offensive coordinator Drew Petzing just got hired by the Detroit Lions…over Mike McDaniel.

So, Terrell isn’t all that shocking when looking at the context. But he is by far the least-known name to Chargers fans.

The Chargers have, after all, reportedly been with or will get with the following names:

Marcus Brady
Shane Day
Mike McDaniel
Brian Callahan
Brian Daboll
Arthur Smith
Thomas Brown

we’ve completed an interview with Drew Terrell for offensive coordinator pic.twitter.com/9LykNo7dPG
— Los Angeles Chargers (@chargers) January 20, 2026

When viewed in this light, Terrell getting the job would be a mild upset compared to some of the former head coaches and similar on this list.

But the Chargers feel like a team that needs a new set of ideas installed on offense, which is why seeing older-school names like Arthur Smith on the list is underwhelming for fans.

Terrell would fit the new-school vibes, though he won’t beat a fan favorite like McDaniel in the court of public opinion right now.

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